The present invention generally relates to an audio system and, more particularly, to an audio system that can change display of information associated with settings of external devices connected to the system and various capabilities performed in the system.
Conventional audio systems incorporating an audio amplifier include a typical system shown in FIG. 1. This audio system AS has external device connection terminals T1 through T4 for connection with CD (Compact Disk) player, radio receiver (tuner), first auxiliary, and second auxiliary. These terminals T1 through T4 are selectively connected to an audio amplifier AM through an input selector SL. The output of the amplifier AM is sounded from a loudspeaker through a speaker terminal Ts.
The input selector SL is controlled from an operation panel PN through a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to select input audio signals from external devices according to the operation of keys or knobs disposed on the operation panel PN. The audio system AS of this type may have a display section DS such as indicators for displaying the state of connection with a selected external device.
For example, in the case where the display section DS is made of a changeable indicator, the audio system AS incorporates a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a table recording display data for a number of connectable external devices in the form of input selector labels such as “CD,” “TUNER,” “AUX1,” and “AUX2”. In correspondence to an input selector position currently selected by the input selector SL, one of the input selector labels “CD,” “TUNER,” “AUX1,” and “AUX2” is displayed on a display screen. These selector labels are displayed by character fonts or a dot matrix, for example. Otherwise, the indicators corresponding to the connectable external devices in one-to-one relation are provided as the display section DS. In correspondence to an input selector position, the associated indicator labeled “CD,” “TUNER,” “AUX1,” or “AUX2” is lighted.
Generally, in the audio systems as mentioned above, a type of an external device to be connected as an audio signal source to each of the connection terminals T1 through T4 depends on users. Under such a circumstance, generic names such as input selector labels “AUX1” and “AUX2” are assigned to the connection terminals T3 and T4, while the other connection terminals T1 and T2 are assigned with specific names such as input selector labels “CD” and “TUNER.” Accordingly, for the information to be displayed or indicated on the display section DS, these default input selector labels are used as they are.
However, the conventional method in which the default selector labels are used as they are for display information or display messages does not allow users to immediately recognize a type of an external device currently connected to these terminals.
In addition, conventional amplifiers have a capability of setting many modes associated with sound effects by means of DSP (Digital Sound (or Signal) Processing), and displaying predetermined mode labels “concert hall,” “jazz,” “rock,” “disco,” and so on % according to the DSP operation modes. Some sophisticated models also have a capability of allowing users to set and reserve various DSP parameters. However, the indication thereof is fixed by a factory; it may be “prog 1” (aggregation of program No. 1), for example.
Conventional audio amplifiers incorporating radio receivers have an indicator for a tuner. Normally, this indicator displays a tuned frequency. If an audio signal from an external device other than a tuner is inputted, the external device is displayed as described above. Generally, with respect to the tuner, as the number of radio stations to be reserved in a preset memory increases, radio stations are managed as groups called of pages. One page registers the radio stations belonging to one group, thereby displaying the group of the radio stations on a page basis. For example, eight stations “1” through “8” are recorded in each of five pages “Page-A” through “Page-E” and display is made like “Page-A”(Preset 1).
As described above, the conventional audio systems may use factory-provided and ready-made names with respect to not only the input selector labels described with reference to FIG. 1 but also mode labels for the sound effect modes executed in the audio systems by the DSP and page labels for settings of various tuning functions of the radio station groups in the preset memory of radio receivers (tuners). The conventional systems use these default labels as they are. This consequently causes a problem that users cannot readily recognize which function or capability of the audio system is currently selected or set.